Residents gathered for an emotional ceremony in Kingston Friday as National Guard members prepare for a tour of duty in Iraq.

Bright music was juxtaposed with mixed emotions at the sendoff. Hundreds of friends and family members gathered to say goodbye to the soldiers in the 104th Military Police Battalion.

The soldiers are heading to Iraq to take charge of security for troops already in the troubled country. The soldiers help move units in and out of combat. That mission worries Wendy Pyburn-Kular, from Newburgh. Her 22-year-old son is leaving with the battalion. ?I wish he weren't going, but I'm proud of him and I know he's doing what he wants to do,? Pyburn-Kular said.